Yankees have no answers against Athletic's Griffin

NEW YORK — A.J. Griffin showed his Oakland teammates before facing the Yankees that he's quite an entertaining guitarist. Then he went out and reminded everyone he's a pretty good pitcher, too.

The Associated Press

NEW YORK — A.J. Griffin showed his Oakland teammates before facing the Yankees that he's quite an entertaining guitarist. Then he went out and reminded everyone he's a pretty good pitcher, too.

Griffin pitched six-hit ball into the eighth inning Friday night and Adam Rosales homered on CC Sabathia's first pitch, leading the Athletics to a 2-0 victory over New York.

Derek Norris hit an RBI single in the sixth inning to help Oakland open its 10-game road trip with its fourth win in five games.

Griffin (3-2) serenaded his teammates in the visiting clubhouse with guitar and song in English, Spanish and French before preparing for his sixth start of the season.

The Yankees had two runners on base only once, in the third inning, and Griffin needed only nine pitches in the each of the fourth through sixth innings. He struck out four, walked one and was removed for Doolittle after Brett Gardner's bunt single to start the eighth.

Rosales hit leadoff for the first time in his career because Coco Crisp is on the disabled list with a strained left hamstring. He hit an 89 mph fastball from Sabathia (4-3) deep into the to left field stands.

The A's didn't threaten again until the fifth, when Nate Freiman, who had three hits, and Rosales singled. But Seth Smith hit a lazy fly to left field for the second out. Robinson Cano kept it a one-run game when he ranged far behind second base to field Jed Lowrie's bouncer and threw across his body to just nip Lowrie at first to end the inning. A's manager Bob Melvin briefly let his objection to the call be known to first base umpire Chris Conroy, filling in for Tim McClelland, who was delayed.

The Yankees lost for just the second time in eight games on a 10-game homestand. They mustered only six hits in Joe Girardi's 1,000th game as a big league manager.

With Joba Chamberlain having gone on the disabled list before the game with an oblique strain and David Robertson unavailable this series because of soreness in the area where the knee meets the hamstring, Girardi was counting on Sabathia to go deep in the game. He was at 93 pitches through five innings, though, and showed signs of fatigue in the sixth.

Yoenis Cespedes walked leading off and went to third base on a line drive by Josh Donaldson that right fielder Ichiro Suzuki appeared to lose in the lights. Suzuki stopped tracking the ball as it zipped by and hit off the wall. Donaldson was nailed trying to stretch at second base for the first out.

Sabathia took exception with what he thought was unfair treatment by plate umpire Jordan Baker in the third inning on a 2-2 pitch and Girardi had to make a mound visit to calm his ace.

"I think he thought he was being shown up. That wasn't the case," catcher Chris Stewart said. "The pitch before was close, and then (Baker) heard CC talking to himself. I can see where the miscommunication can happen."

Sabathia "told him that he didn't like being yelled at," Stewart said.

Sabathia gave up eight hits and two runs in six innings. He walked two and struck out six.

"I thought I made good pitches but there were good at-bats by Oakland," Sabathia said. "I had good stuff but they kept fouling off pitches. Getting my curveball and changeup for strikes helped."